Follow UsOllie Pope couldn’t have asked for any better form heading into the Ashes when he smacked a blistering double-century against Ireland. It put him in good stead ahead of the Ashes opener in Birmingham and gave him a good opportunity to showcase his worth at home against a tough opponent.
Whilst the right-hander looked class in the first innings of the Birmingham Test, he couldn’t quite convert his start. Things took a different turn during the second Test when Pope was injured while fielding in the first innings, eventually ruling him out of the entire series. Pope looked back at the Ashes, stating that there’s nothing worse than missing due to an injury.
“There’s nothing worse than being in a big series and then an injury comes along,” Pope told Telegraph Sport.
“I’m gutted. At Lord’s, I was fine. I went up to Headingley hoping for the best after having a scan and I was thinking about what the next steps were. Can I put surgery off to get through this series? It’s all logical thinking without emotion. Then the news is confirmed, and it all changes,” he had to add.
The 25-year-old is confident that this surgery could well and truly end his shoulder issues, something that has plagued him in the past. Pope opened up on his experience of playing with painkillers, insisting that it was a ‘sore’ experience.
“It was sore,” he says. I was on heavy painkillers. I was falling asleep waiting to bat because the painkillers were so strong. That was kind of annoying. Once I got into the innings it was OK. There were shots which jarred it. I didn’t want to carry on on the pitch because you know what the Aussies are like, I didn’t want to have a target on my back. Wanted to get through the innings.
“To play the pull shot was painful and high risk. That [the dismissal] was definitely the shot that hurt it the most. I think the fact I got out made it worse. The pain got easier as I got into the innings. I should have hit it for six and I’m sure it wouldn’t have hurt as badly.”
On his Ashes experience, Pope rued missed opportunities and was left annoyed by his own dismissal against Nathan Lyon.
“That first Test at Edgbaston, there were a lot of nerves flying about. They were bowling at good pace, and I should have kicked on in that first dig [he made 29]. I got a pretty average dismissal to [Nathan] Lyon.
“That game was pretty annoying, but in that second one I do have to remember I was batting with one shoulder. I have felt in good rhythm, so it’s frustrating not to get a big score. I’ll have to wait a few more years to hopefully get another crack at Australia.”